Kim Jong Il Bowls a 300

and Other Great Moments in North Korean Sports

January 27, 2014

What Kim Jong Un’s government has called the “hot wind of sports blowing through Korea” wasn’t just Dennis Rodman dropping by. Even as the country appears increasingly unstable, Kim, like his father and grandfather before him, has been obsessed with sports. Athletics, it turns out, have offered a rare window into the secretive country since its founding in 1948. Here, we present a historical highlight reel.

July1966

An Improbable World Cup Success

North Korea becomes the first Asian team to advance to the quarterfinals after beating Italy 1-0 in the first round. The team’s run ends when Portugal wins 5-3 in what Time magazine calls “one of the most extraordinary games of soccer ever.”

August1972

North Korea Wins First Olympic Gold

Ri Ho Jun sets an Olympic record in small-diameter rifle-shooting and brings home his country’s first-ever gold medal.

August1982

Tae Kwon Do Assassination Plot Foiled

The North Korean military allegedly orders members of the International Tae Kwon Do Federation to assassinate South Korean President Chun Doo-Hwan. An attempt to carry out this order is foiled in Canada when Chun visits.

September1988

North Korea Boycotts Seoul Olympics

After the International Olympic Committee refuses North Korea’s proposal to co-host the 1988 games, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sits out the competition. North Korea also carries out terrorist attacks on the South in 1986 and 1987 in order to undermine the country’s credibility as an Olympic host.

May1989

North Korea Opens World's Largest Stadium

With more than 150,000 seats, the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang becomes a favorite site for mass-games celebrations. In the fall of 2013, Kim Jong Un orders a renovation to honor the “undying feats” of his grandfather and father in promoting North Korean sports.

February1994

Kim Il Sung Visits the Pyongyang Gold Lane

The new 40-lane bowling alley is described as a “patriotic donation” from a Korean businesswoman living in Japan. Later, North Korean media will report that Kim Jong Il has bowled a perfect game at Gold Lane.

October1994

Kim Jong Il Shoots 38 Under Par

In his first round of golf ever, Kim Jong Il sinks eleven holes-in-one at the 7,700-yard, 18-hole Pyongyang Golf Club. North Korean media reports a score of 34, which would be a world record.

May1997

North Korean Giant Blocked from NBA

The seven-foot-nine-inch North Korean center, Ri Myong Hun, flies to Canada to meet with NBA coaches. He would be the tallest player in NBA history, but the State Department blocks his signing; by the time it changes its mind, North Korea refuses to let Ri play in the United States.

Fall1998

Kim Jong Un: Michael Jordan Fanboy

Kim Jong Un begins boarding school near Bern, Switzerland, under an assumed name. Classmates say he spends hours making detailed drawings of Michael Jordan and wears Nike Air Jordans.

September2000

The Koreas March Together at the Sydney Olympics

In the 2000 Summer Games, athletes from both countries march side by side in the Opening Ceremonies behind the Korean Unification flag. The last-minute deal nearly falls apart because North Korea doesn’t have enough athletes.

October2000

Kim Jong Il Is Given Valuable Sports Memorabilia

Madeleine Albright, the first senior American official to visit North Korea, gives Kim a basketball signed by Michael Jordan. The basketball is now held in the North Korean “Museum of International Understanding.”

2001

Michael Jordan Turns Down Invitation

Optimistic, perhaps, because of the basketball, the North Korean government invites Michael Jordan to visit the country to meet Kim Jong Il. Jordan declines the invitation.

April2002

North Korea Hosts First Arirang Festival

Mass games are held to commemorate the birthday of Kim Il Sung. The celebration includes massive dance and gymnastics performances, six days a week for two straight months.

March2005

Riots Erupt at Soccer Match Against Iran

North Korean fans storm a Pyongyang field after a referee denies the national team a penalty in a World Cup qualifier. Riot police are called in, and the team loses 2-0. The next qualifying match is not open to the public.

June2010

World Cup Players Try to Defect

Before the team’s opening World Cup match against Brazil—North Korea’s first Cup appearance in more than 40 years—four athletes try to bolt. After the team loses, players are “invited” to a public shaming at North Korea’s People’s Palace of Culture.

June2011

Lightning Strikes Women’s World Cup Team

Five players on the North Korean women’s World Cup team fail a drug test—the result, North Korean officials explain, of steroids that were mistakenly ingested after lightning struck the athletes during training. The lightning strike is also offered as a reason for the team’s 2-0 loss to the United States.

July2012

London Olympics Mistakenly Waves South Korean Flag

The North Korean women’s soccer team walks off the field after the South Korean flag is mistakenly displayed before the match. The International Olympic Committee claims the mix-up was the result of human error and has no political implications.

March2013

Dennis Rodman Visits Pyongyang

Michael Jordan’s former teammate—another favorite of Kim Jong Un—makes his first trip to North Korea. He is sponsored by Vice Media and accompanied by several players from the Harlem Globetrotters.

December2013

Masik Pass Ski Resort Opens

In an effort to boost North Korea’s tourism industry, the government builds ski slopes at Masik Pass with Canadian and European ski equipment—which may violate U.N. sanctions on trading luxury goods with the communist regime. Kim Jong Un is photographed on the ski lift.

January2014

Rodman Returns to Host Basketball Game

Rodman brings six former NBA players to North Korea to play an exhibition game in honor of Kim Jong Un’s thirty-first birthday. Rodman also drunkenly shouts down a CNN anchor and accompanies Kim Jong Un on a ski trip to Masik Pass.